We’re going to talk a bit about business planning. There’s an old saying: “Failure to plan, plan to fail.”
So, let me ask you this question. You say to yourself: “You know what? I’d like to walk to the Northern Territory from Sydney.”
The first thing you have to check is how many kilometers you need to walk until you reach your destination. It could be 2000km, maybe it’s 3.500 kilometers. It’s important to get facts and numbers right in order to obtain a solid answer.
It’s great to have a goal. And it’s great to talk to all your friends about how “I’m going to do this.” But have you thought about how will you actually do it?
How will you do something if you’re unsure what it is exactly? How will you get somewhere if you don’t know where it is or how to get there? These are crucial questions for your business.
Why should you work on business planning?
At the end of the day, unless you put things in place on a regular, consistent and persistence basis, you’re not going to get it.
You need to find out how many kilometers you can walk on your own. Do you need to walk at day or night? Because of the weather temperatures.
- What happens if there’s a roadblock?
- Is there an alternative route around?
- How many support staff do you need?
- How much fuel will you use?
- What medical systems and equipment could you require?
- What food should you bring?
No answer means no solution and having no solutions will install chaos in all sectors of your business. Also, the next step will most likely be very risky because you have no idea on how to proceed. Therefore, you should always prepare yourself beforehand.
What happens if I don’t plan properly?
You know if I run out of petrol halfway through the journey and if I don’t understand it might be flood season in a particular area… Then I have to go around, I’m not going to get to my point through the originally planned route.
If you haven’t done your business planning, then you won’t have any alternative routes. That means you’ll either have to go back, step into the unknown or spend some time trying to find a viable solution.
The same exact thing applies to your business. Lack of accuracy and the lack of vision regarding contingency can also put you at risk.
So, take your time with business planning. Your success might depend on it.
It is true that you’ve got to have a goal, a mission. But so too, you have to plan for every single contingency along the way.
And if you’ve got these in place, your plan can always change… But at least you’ve got a plan. At least you’re prepared in case things go terribly wrong.
Together, we can create a strong business plan for your business. Let’s get your business prepared for any future context.